Karel Čapek

Karel Čapek
Karel Čapek
Born	9 January 1890; Malé Svatoňovice, Austria-Hungary
Died	25 December 1938 (aged 48); Prague, Czechoslovakia
Resting place	Vyšehrad Cemetery, Prague
Pen name	K. Č., B. Č.
Occupation	Writer; critic; journalist;
Language	Czech
Nationality	Czechoslovakia
Education	PhD in Philosophy
Alma mater	Charles University in Prague
Period	Modern (20th century)
Genres	Science fiction and political satire (novel; short story; play); fairy tale; sketch; feuilleton; travelogue; translation; opinion journalism; essay; literary and art criticism; libretto;
Subjects	Totalitarianism; militarism; industrial inventions;
Literary movement	Modernism, realism
Years active	from 1904
Employer	Newspaper Lidové noviny
Notable works	R.U.R; Válka s mloky (War with the Newts); Bílá nemoc (The White Disease); Továrna na absolutno (The Absolute at Large); Krakatit
Notable awards	Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (in memoriam)
Spouse	Olga Scheinpflugová
Parents	Antonín Čapek (father); Božena Čapková (mother)
Relatives	Josef Čapek (brother); Helena Čapková (sister)
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Karel Čapek (Czech: [ˈkarɛl ˈtʃapɛk] ^ⓘ; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel War with the Newts (1936) and play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots, 1920), which introduced the word robot. He also wrote many politically charged works dealing with the social turmoil of his time. Influenced by American pragmatic liberalism, he campaigned in favor of free expression and strongly opposed the rise of both fascism and communism in Europe.

Though nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times, Čapek never received it. However, several awards commemorate his name, such as the Karel Čapek Prize, awarded every other year by the Czech PEN Club for literary work that contributes to reinforcing or maintaining democratic and humanist values in society. He also played a key role in establishing the Czechoslovak PEN Club as a part of International PEN.

Čapek died on the brink of World War II as the result of a lifelong medical condition. His legacy as a literary figure became well established after the war.

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